The 28-point peace blueprint drafted by the United States — a proposal that has already triggered deep unease in Kyiv and multiple European capitals — remains at the centre of tense, highly sensitive negotiations over how to end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war.
Top officials from Washington and Kyiv met in Geneva on Sunday to refine the plan, but both sides revealed very little about the substance of their discussions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks as “very worthwhile,” calling them the most productive engagement with Ukrainian officials in a very long time. He added that he was “very optimistic” that progress could be achieved.
Rubio also tried to soften the deadline set earlier by President Donald Trump — a Thursday cutoff for Ukraine to officially respond to the plan. He noted that the ultimate goal was to halt the fighting as soon as possible, and stressed that negotiations could continue into next week. But he also acknowledged that the most difficult aspects would require decisions from senior political leaders.
“This is a very delicate moment,” Rubio said. “Some of it is semantics or language. Others require higher-level decisions. Others just need more time to work through.”
The proposal itself has caused alarm across Europe. The original Trump-endorsed framework incorporates several Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly declared unacceptable — including surrendering large areas of Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine could soon face an extremely painful dilemma: defend its sovereign rights or preserve the American support on which it depends.
Despite this, Zelenskyy has maintained that Ukrainians “will always defend their home.”
Following the Geneva meeting, the White House insisted that Ukrainian concerns had been addressed, issuing a statement saying Kyiv’s delegation “affirmed that all of their principal concerns” — including security guarantees, economic stability, infrastructure protection and sovereignty — had been thoroughly considered. According to the US, the revised plan now includes “credible and enforceable mechanisms” to protect Ukraine’s security in both the short and long term.
But that reassurance came only after mounting backlash. A bipartisan group of US senators said Rubio had privately told them the plan was originally based on a Russian “wish list,” a claim that drew strong reactions from European leaders. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed he had personally told Trump that Europe supported Ukraine’s full sovereignty and would not accept any arrangement that compromised its territorial rights.
Rubio, for his part, insisted the blueprint was a “living, breathing document” and would continue evolving — but reminded reporters that Russia “gets a vote” in any final deal.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, presidential aide Andrii Yermak, said Kyiv believed “very good progress” had been made toward a “just and lasting peace.” His team also met separately with senior security advisers from Britain, France and Germany, all of whom have pushed for substantial changes to the original plan. European leaders argue that Ukraine must retain the ability to defend itself and must not be pressured into territorial concessions.
Trump, however, criticised Ukraine on Sunday, accusing its leadership of showing “zero gratitude” for American support. Zelenskyy quickly responded by thanking the US and insisting that the blame for the war “rests solely with Russia.”
Meanwhile, confusion persists over the authorship of the proposal itself. Some European leaders, including Poland’s prime minister, have asked for clarity after senators claimed the document originated in Moscow — an allegation the US State Department dismissed as “blatantly false.”
Amid the diplomatic turbulence, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that he would speak with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday, hoping to revive the Black Sea grain corridor agreement that previously enabled Ukrainian food exports.
As negotiations continue, Ukraine and its allies have firmly ruled out any settlement that forces Kyiv to cede sovereignty or accept limits on its military strength. But with Washington urging rapid progress and Russia signalling conditional openness, the next phase of talks will determine whether the revised framework can evolve into a viable — and acceptable — peace agreement for all sides.
